Dan Levinson's Fête Manouche
Hot Club of France - Gypsy Jazz, at the Hot Steamed Jazz Festival 2011
 |
Fête Manouche -
or Hot Club of France, a band that plays the music of Gypsy
Jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. It's more than just music, it's a way of
life, almost a religion. Dan Levinson and Molly Ryan
were immersed in it last year, actually camping out in Samois sur Seine, where Django
lived after he retired. On his return, he and Tom Landman put
this band together.
Dan Levinson clarinet, Tom Landman guitar, Ted
Gottsegan lead guitar, Molly Ryan guitar/vocals, and Cassidy Holden
bass.
They started with Douce Ambiance
with a
vocal by Molly. Skipping the verse, the guitars carried on with Gus Kahn's I Never Knew, and then a gypsy War Horse based on Edward Grieg's
Dance Norvégienne.
Musette is dance music that had its' beginnings
in Paris in Django's time; it was mainly based on accordion. They
kept that theme for I'll See You In My Dreams by Isham
Jones and Gus Kahn,
that Django recorded with his Quintet of the Hot Club of France.
Dream a Little
Dream of Me, with a warm, emotional vocal by Molly.
Django was missing
two fingers on his left hand, as a result of a fire in the
family trailer when he was eight. Lead guitarist Ted Gottsegan generally uses all his fingers,
but sometimes emulates Django's authentic style, as in a jubilant Troublant Bolero.
They cut loose on Avalon,
Cassidy bowing fine bass. The guitar may be Django's
instrument, but this bass player is the impetus behind
this Fête Manouche!
Valse des Niglos (Dance of the Hedgehogs) is a pretty tune in the
Musette tradition.
 |
Cassidy Holden.
Cassidy likes to play Tears.
We can't say enough about this young bass player's deep feeling for the music,
his fine fingering, bowing,
and slap bass.!!
Formerly from the Cangelosi Cards, he uses real gut strings on the bass to get
the right sound.
We overheard him later, giving suggestions to a seasoned string bass player. |
They closed with the last song the orchestra played on the
sinking Titanic, Songe d'Autmone (Dream of Autumn), (according to
Harold Lowe, the last one to leave the ship).
Dan Levinson closed, saying "It's a rare treat to play with this band!"
contact: danlevinson@aol.com
http://danlevinson.blogspot.com/
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BACK TO TOP
Back to Hot Steamed 2011
|
| By Marce,
Updated July 24, 2011
|
|
